Chapter 1

I’m very embarrassed to say this, but I still can’t get up every day at the same time even though I’m out like a light every night at ten, and to be honest, it makes me want to smash my head against the nearest wall.

I’m a control freak.

That’s why waking up late, takes a toll on me every flipping time. So like every other day, today too, I crawled out of my bed in a very unladylike manner and walked to the adjoined bathroom of my room at the slowest speed known to mankind, not gonna lie it took a lot of effort, and although I appreciate that I at least take a bath everyday like the other thousands of students in Trinity high, it still bugs me.

Yes, I’m still in school. In senior year

The pain I tell you

My phone pinged on my butt cheek, and I groaned. Had to be my best friend I thought. It’s not like someone other than her would text me at this ungodly hour. On a Sunday to top it off, so I did what any other sleep-deprived teenager would do. I took out my phone and threw it on my bed. With my bad aim, Of course, it landed on the carpet.

Taking a long shower which loosened all the sore muscles on my back, I wrapped the fluffy hand me down bathrobe around my body like a burrito and walked into the closet.

“Dad you burned it” V yelled in her high-pitched tone voice, which made me cringe and rub my ears on my shoulder. V is my sister and I knew exactly what she was talking about. Pancakes, V was talking about pancakes, and my dad had burned it. It wasn’t rocket science to figure that analogy, because it occurs every weekend.

He started doing it after my mom died in a car accident when I was six. We lived in portland then when dad couldn’t stay there due to the guilt of surviving, we shifted here to Sheridan, California’s sunny central coast. All the way from Oregon, my father’s hometown.

I skidded down accidentally tripping on my feet somehow reaching the kitchen without a concussion. My older sister veronica was busy on her phone, also nothing unusual. But her face and body were screaming that she sneaked out last night and probably is on painkillers to calm the headache that she is having.

Punishment for coming home drunk

just so you know we are totally different from our looks to our personality you name it there’s nothing similar between us. sometimes I even have second thoughts of her being related to me she’s definitely prettier even though from time to time she keeps feeding me crap like ‘beauty lies within’ and what not but that’s only when she’s drunk.

I look like my dad not that he’s ugly or anything. He is pretty handsome for his age. bluish-green eyes Jet black hair that sometimes’s looks like they’ve been licked by a cow. Sharp jawline, appropriate height, and muscular. And same with me except that I’m not muscular and I have my mother’s chocolate brown eyes.

On the other hand, my sister has wavy natural burgundy hair. Green eyes, pointed nose sharp jawline, bomb figure. Someone would say she is fresh out of vogue but that’s only because she cakes her face with makeup everyday. when I was a toddler I loved to steal her makeup but then I stopped because she threatened to spit on me.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked with her big doe eyes like I was gonna tell her the story of the brightest star in the sky.

"I was just thinking about you” I shrug making my way into the kitchen.

“That’s creepy”. I rolled my eyes and sat down on of the chairs beside V. She wouldn't have found it so creepy if one of the College jocks did it. I’m so tempted to read her texts that she’s sending her boyfriend but I’m hungry and I don’t want to lose my appetite. If you know what I mean.

“Good morning, Kai” Dad said as he flipped a pancake. It burned.

“Morning dad"

“so what are you girls gonna do today I’m thinking we can visit your grandma she misses you guys”

yeah and I have a boyfriend

“no I can’t I have a paper due tomorrow” I prompt immediately. there is no way I’m spending my weekend with her.

we’ve never been on best terms with grandmother. An Italian devil that woman is. I hate her. In fact, I hate her so that if I had a penny to give her for every bad word I say about her she would have been a Kardashian. Minus the Ass and Boobs

My dad sighed and shook his head while serving me 3 pancakes with some fresh blueberries and maple syrup. These pancakes are so out of shape they look like the shape of some country except that country doesn’t exist.

“I have to go out with Ned. He has been waiting for a reservation in some hotel for a month. And if I don’t show up today he’ll go nuts” V whispered in my ear after dad was out of earshot.

“You want me to be to your escort? ”. I bit back sarcastically “Just because you have one, you don’t need to rub it in my face”

“No you silly ”she rolled her eyes at me “what should I tell dad” she starts biting her perfectly trimmed nails. A thing she does when she’s thinking really hard.

I looked back at my dad who’s still trying to make a perfect pancake and think how to fool him.

I’m sure as hell a perfect daughter.

“Okay I got one” her face lights up like colors in the dark “How about I’m going to the pet store to...” she pauses

“To???” I raise an eyebrow as I tilt my head

“Bring cat food for Delilah”

My eyebrows scrunched "Delilah?"

“Our cat” she whispered back. I slowly told her that it wouldn't work instead of breaking her heart by telling her that her imaginary cat doesn't exist. We don't have a pet. I don't even want to know how the animal got christened and ended up with a name. Delilah. I snorted.

“How the hell do you switch on this water heater” Dad threw his hands up in frustration looking in rage at the coffee maker.

I shook my head quietly munching on the food that lay on the table.

"Can I just go with 'The friend's aunt, that died due to breast cancer', again?

Oh Dear Lord

The horrified look I gave her undoubtedly made her cringe. "Again?"

She snorted rolled her eyes. "Well, how do you think I ended up on Jesse's private beach last summer?"

“Damnit Kai” My father turned towards me whilst banging the coffee maker “This piece of junk doesn’t work”

“ugh” I groaned and put my hands on my head.

I have one hell of a family.

The rest of the day my family did the same weekend stuff, with v somewhere with Ned. I still can’t believe my dad believed my sister. He even went as far to give her extra cash to buy a bouquet for her aunt. Like I said I have one hell of a family but it would have been different if mom was alive. My sister wouldn’t have to lie about secretly going out with Ned as my mom being my mom would have just allow her to date and for my Dad he wouldn’t have to worry about perfecting a pancake or making cursing the coffee maker which he thinks is a water heater. I wouldn’t have to wake up everyday to hear sir Mix-a-lot singing baby got as she would have just barged inmy room telling me to get my arse off the bed. A dry chuckle escapes my lips as I keep replaying the scene in my head.

Suddenly my phone starts buzzing which I had left to charge. probably my sister calling to ask whether dad was home or my dad calling to ask whether v was home or lizz, my best friend.

Lizzy and I have known each other since we were toddlers. we are diaper buddies. We went to the same nursery, same kindergarten, we go to the same school, and will probably go the same college.

I picked up my phone to see which one of them it was but to my surprise it was none of them. An unknown number popped on my screen.

“Hello”, I spoke

No answer

“Hello”, I said again this time a little louder.

“Hey beautiful”. Says a deep and velvety voice. His voice barely coming out as a whisper.

What the…. “Who is this? Hello…..”

He cut the call.

“The hell”.

I tried to call him again. But no one picked up. on the third trial, straight to voicemail and on the fourth, switched off.

Who does that?